Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-18639

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14458 by Mr Tom McCabe on 15 March 2005, what the 40 capital projects referred to in the answer are.

The 40 major projects referred to in the reply to S2W-14458 are:

30 trunk road construction projects

One railway project (Airdrie to Bathgate Rail Link)

Seven IT – enabled business change projects for the Executive (including e-RDM, e-HR, systems integration and server maintenance)

One building project for Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency at Gartcosh

One estate development project at Jordanhill School

Details of the projects and ministerial responsibility are included in the following table:

Programme/Project	Ministerial Responsibility
Trunk Roads
A9 Crubenmore Extension	Enterprise And Lifelong Learning
M80 Stepps-Haggs (Phase 1) Low Wood	“
M80 Stepps-Haggs (Phase 2) Auchenkilns -Haggs	“
M80 Stepps-Haggs (Phase 3) Moodiesburn Bypass	“
A876 Kincardine Bridge	“
A90 Balmedie - Tipperty	“
A68 Pathhead –Tynehead Junction	“
A75 Dunragit Re-Alignment	“
A75 Hardgrove - Kinmount	“
A90 Glendoik Interchange	“
A90 Kinfauns Interchange	“
M74 Raith Interchange	“
M8 Baillieston – Newhouse and Associated Development	“
A77 Symington And Bogend Toll	“
A9 Ballinluig Junction	“
A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass	“
A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route	“
M77 Fenwick to Malletsheugh	“
M74 Completion	“
A80 Auchenkilns Junction	“
M8 Whitecart Viaduct	“
A898 Erkine Bridge –All Phases	“
A830arisaig to Loch Nan Uham	“
M8 Kingston Bridge Stobcross On Ramp	“
M74 Raith Bridge	“
A96 Coachford Climbing Lane	“
A9 Helmsdale Phase 1	“
A77 Dutch House to Bog End Toll (Inc Symington)	“
A9 Kincraig to Dalraddy Carriageway Widening	“
A9 Helmsdale Phase 2	“
Rail
Airdrie Bathgate Rail Link	Transport
It
Systems Integration	Finance and Public Service Reform
Supply Of ICT Contractors	“
Server Maintenance	“
Electronic Records and Document Management	“
Electronic Human Resources	“
Ssi Broadband	Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
Scottish Schools Digital Network	Education and Young People
Building
Project For Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency At Gartcosh	Justice
Estate Development
Project at Jordanhill School	Education and Young People

Question reference: S2W-18640

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14458 by Mr Tom McCabe on 15 March 2005, which minister is responsible for each of the 40 capital projects referred to in the answer.

Question reference: S2W-18632

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many video installations in private properties for the purposes of surveillance at the request of the police there have been in the last full year for which figures are available and how many prosecutions have resulted, broken down by police force area.

Question reference: S2W-18635

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources and facilities were made available to schools and teachers to teach the vocationally-based Highers and Advanced Highers that are now being withdrawn.

The Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) has not yet made any announcement concerning the withdrawal of specific National Courses. However, it is anticipated that the SQA will shortly be communicating with all centres to provide an update on the development of the catalogue of National Courses. This letter will explain how the SQA intends to develop a dynamic portfolio of qualifications which meet the needs of Scottish learners.

Question reference: S2W-18637

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the subjects previously offered in the vocationally based Highers and Advanced Highers now being withdrawn will be taught within any other Higher or Advanced Highers offered in schools.

The Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA) has not yet made any announcement concerning the withdrawal of specific National Courses. However, it is anticipated that the SQA will shortly be communicating with all centres to provide an update on the development of the catalogue of National Courses. This letter will explain how the SQA intends to develop a dynamic portfolio of qualifications which meet the needs of Scottish learners.

Question reference: S2W-18903

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 14 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that public procurement policies were adhered to during the tendering process for the Scottish Intelligence Database system in 2001.

Question reference: S2W-18923

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what role tenants have in the local application of community ownership.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows.

Tenants play a vital role in the application of community ownership. The landlord’s governance process must ensure that the arrangements for membership of the governing body reflect the composition of the community that the organisation serves, enable tenants and the wider community to influence the governing body and enable tenants, and the wider community if they wish, to participate in the management of the organisation.

Social landlords are required to develop and implement a tenant participation strategy and consult with tenants groups and individual tenants on a range of issues. Landlords use a number of informal tools to seek tenant views such as conferences, focus groups or tenant satisfaction surveys.

Where local authorities intend to put proposals to tenants for the transfer of the council’s housing into community ownership, tenants or their representatives must be consulted and involved at every stage. Scottish ministers attach great importance to the manner in which a council consults the tenants whose homes are included in a transfer proposal and ministers cannot consent to a transfer unless the majority of tenants voting in the transfer ballot support the proposals.

More information on tenant participation can be found on Communities Scotland’s website at:

http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_008388.hcsp#TopOfPage.

In addition, more information on tenant involvement in the large scale stock transfer process is available on the Communities Scotland’s website at:

http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_007154.hcsp#TopOfPage.

Question reference: S2W-18907

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 14 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which police force led the exercise, on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Police Service, of inviting tenders for the Scottish Intelligence Database system.

Question reference: S2W-18905

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 14 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Intelligence Database system was operational on time.

Question reference: S2W-18904

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 14 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Intelligence Database system was installed on time.

Chamber and committees